Blood Feud

I

The day was turning into a red dusk as the suns slowly descended into the western horizon. The easy dusk provided the perfect backdrop for the end of the recent battle. Twenty-seven thousand men lay dead from mortal combat, fighting for honor and glory. Only the cries of the dying could now be heard, though that was slowly fading away. Upon the edges of this new field of death, wolves, pumas, and crows silently stalked, waiting only for the survivors to quit the search for their friends so that they may enjoy their easy meal. In the midst of this macabre scene stood the two victorious generals, Markis IV, the Rexia of Eterria, and Villiam of Bois, the High Stathafer of the Deltalands. Clad in black armor and of average height, Markis held his helm on his right hip exposing his short, black hair and handsome face to the world. His hazel eyes had a look of sadness and disgust to them that was complimented by the frown apparent underneath his genial goatee. Tall Villiam, by contrast, looked about the world in steel armor polished to a mirror-like sheen. His long, pretty face, topped by very short blond hair, looked with pride at the horror before him, happy with the results of this wretched conquest. They stood there, those two leaders of men, with only one thought on both of their minds; the cost of victory was too high. As neither one of them had any appreciable reserves, they would need the veterans of this battle to continue on with the campaign. But now there were not enough of them to obtain the two sovereigns’ goal. So they continued to stand there silently for a period of time. Then a squad of soldiers bearing a purple rose under a field of eight yellow stars on their red surcoats approached. This was the emblem of House Demur, the ruling house of Eterria, and these were the Rexia’s Homekarls. They brought with them a single man to the two leaders. That man was still fighting against his captors, his short light brown hair was matted with sweat from the long battle, and his piercing brown eyes continued to smolder with rage. The black armor he wore was dented and rent in various places, evidence of his placement during the previous battle. Of more than medium height he was and of broad shoulders, and despite the fact that his hands were bound behind him he still managed to fight well against his larger captors. When he was brought before Markis and Villiam, the man stood up tall before them, denying them complete victory. The guards had to kick him in the back of the knees to get him to kneel.“I am disappointed, Garfios,” sneered Villiam. “To bow before the ones who defeated you in battle is the only honorable thing to do.”His Majesty, Garfios Drakificios Shrike, Second in his Name, Second Rexia of Cetland, looked right into Villiam’s eyes with murderous intent. “You are a traitor, Villiam! You are the seneschal of my Earldom, the Deltalands. I owe you no honor! You deserve no honor! All I will give you, Villiam, is a stake through your treacherous heart.”“So what kind of ransom do you think a rexia of Cetland is worth?” Villiam asked of Markis. “Fifty thousand mauch? Sixty thousand?”“Eight hundred thousand mauch,” Garfios said menacingly. Both leaders were shocked to hear such a price, and made no effort to hide it. Garfios looked right into Markis’s eyes and said, “And you, Markis. For centuries your family has sat the throne of Eterria through the largess of House Drakificios. Our families have been allies since Sololairia was founded. But no more! I will exterminate your line. Not a single branch of twice removed shall escape my wrath. Eterria will become my personal estate and all of what House Demur has built will be torn down.”“Your words mean nothing, Garfios,” said Markis, with great anxiety. “You are now our prisoner. You could no more do those things than a man could fell a tree with a kick.”“I will not have to,” Garfios growled out. “When my Prime Minister, Andrum Strong, learns of this treachery, he will avenge me with rapid force. My own death will not protect you from the wrath of Cetland.”“Then we will just have to conquer Cetland,” said a new voice. A man suddenly appeared behind the rulers. He had dusty skin, and was tall but slim. He wore a dirt covered black cloak that magicians sometimes wore when performing black magic. His hood was down, exposing his flat face and terrible brown eyes for the entire world to see. He walked between the two leaders seemingly unaware of their superiority, and with a serenity that simply disturbed a man any sound mind. “Who are you?” demanded Garfios, furious at the new man’s comment.“My name is Alchemedies,” he said. “And I have made common cause with these, good men,” he said indicating both Markis and Villiam. Garfios continued to stare in wrath at Alchemedies, but he paid it no mind. Instead he looked around at the field of dead. “Such a waste,” he said. “Those Cets that you lead here were brave men with dreams to look forward to, and loved one to care for and be cared by. But what does that matter to you, Garfios. All you care for is your own glory, your own power. You don’t care how many die for your ambitions. These good men died for nothing!”“They died with honor. They will surely find their place in the Celestial Lines,” replied Garfios. “Now, I say again, who are you?”“I am the Imperator of Geiospotamia,” Alchemedies declared. “You should feel honored to be held prisoner by me, Garfios.” Then Alchemedies snapped towards Garfios, anger flashing across his face; his first emotion showed. He placed his left hand atop Garfios’s head, delicately. Garfios went to shake it off, but instead his eyes glazed over and he fell down face forward.“He will be fine,” Alchemedies declared to those assembled. “It is only a paralysis, and it will last until we take him to Almester. Please, make him ready for transport.” At the order, the Homekarls of Eterria picked up the Cetlish Rexia by the arms and dragged him toward the camp. Their destination was the wagon train in order to procure one to take Garfios away. While that was happening, Markis and Villiam were continuing with their treacherous campaign. Together they chose the Eterran noble, Lord Steffan Haltoes, the Junker of Malbo, to take command of the allied force. Markis said to him, “March the remaining soldiers, all eleven thousands of them, north to Caulada. Once there, you will prepare immediately for an invasion of Cetland, with the near goal of investing Bagista. Much of the machines and supplies you will need should already be in Caulada, so set off tomorrow if possible. In the meantime, Villiam and myself shall travel with Alchemedies to Almester.” Steffan acknowledged his orders and began issuing his own to his subordinates. Once Rexia Garfios was secured, and a proper honor guard was setup, they set off. Though unable to move, Garfios could still see, and think. And in all that time his anger grew. It continued to grow even as the wagon started to move. The road they took went south but Garfios could feel that he was also going west. The thought of heading towards the Deltalands enraged him further. All of his thoughts turned on what punishments were to be inflicted upon his enemies. Certainly they would be killed, but what to do to them before? Setting them on fire, removing their skin and nails, and slowly drilling holes into them were only a few of things Garfios thought of doing to all of them. But after what seemed like hours later, Garfios stopped thinking of revenge. In all that time he had not been able to move, thus making all of his planning moot. Instead his thoughts turned on how he had arrived at this humiliating situation.It was eight days ago that Garfios received a letter from Villiam of Bois at his residence, Combinir Palacia. The letter told him that several patrols of Eterran soldiery were being spotted on the border between the Deltalands and Eterria. Villiam wrote that he feared this was merely a preparation for an invasion of his, the Archearl’s, domain. Eterria and the Deltalands had a long history of dispute over the Shandoa region, currently a part of the Deltalands. With the sovereigns of Eterria allied with the Dragonslayers, they had given up trying to take the Shandoa region by force and instead lobbied their ally for the rights to that rich region. For years, the Dragonslayers had sided with their own realm against their erstwhile allies. So now it seemed that Markis IV wished to forsake the alliance and begin again the dispute with violence.Though Garfios believed that there was no reason to pay attention to an alliance that offered little but one less enemy to fight, one that was weaker than the Drakificios Empire, he still felt bound to the dictates of those ancient treaties. But attacking his domain could not be tolerated. Villiam suggested in the letter that Garfios should come to Lederstram and lead the Norch army himself against the coming invasion. His presence would breathe fire into the Norch soldiers and make them nearly invincible. But Garfios did not simply wish to beat back the Eterran incursion, he wished to crush Eterria. To that end, Garfios II sent orders to Villiam to hold back Markis at Dӓrek, or wherever the attack would come. All the while, Garfios would assemble a Cetlish host to strike at the heart of Markis’s realm. Six days later, Garfios, with a the aid of the superb general Duan Berry Arch-hidalgo Kentle, invaded Eterria with a force numbering four battalions of regular infantry, one battalion of Loscorredores, and two troops of genequari, plus several squads of battle wizards. It was an army of around fifteen thousand of some of Ubernorden’s deadliest warriors, each man in a surcoat of gold with the Impaled Dragon on their chests. They marched to Dyger, a small Eterran city that was the junction point for many highways. Capturing that city would allow the Cets to threaten Etros, Eterria’s capital city. That plan, however, never was allowed to ripen. A day’s march later, yesterday, Markis had deployed an army of three or four battalions, a troop of genequari, and Eterran battle wizards, approximately fifteen thousand, to block the Cetlish advance just south of Dyger. They stood in battle formation, weapons at the ready in their black surcoats emblazoned the Crowned Serpent.Wiser and more experienced than his rexia and superior, General Berry wished to withdraw to a more defensible position. He thought it was suspicious that the Eterrans had managed to assemble an army against them across their path of attack, especially when those units would be needed to attack the Deltalands. However, Garfios, ever eager for glory, insisted on attacking immediately and sweep away his opposition this very moment. It was not an unwise choice as the two forces were numerically matched, and the Cetlish infantry were the superior soldiers. So General Berry Horsebreaker formed the Rexia’s army for battle. As soon as both armies were in position, a horn sounded to the Cetlish rear. It was a host of Norch of two battalions and two troops of cavalry including a detachment of Ghurkin horse-nomad levies from the eastern shore of the Adune. Villiam had followed Markis from the border, and would now join his sovereign in battle, the blue, silver crossed surcoats of the Norch swaying in the breeze. Outnumbering the enemy by approximately eight thousand men, Garfios and Berry felt that victory was assured. But just as the Eterrans advanced towards their opponents, the Norch attacked the Cets from behind. Villiam had betrayed Garfios. Outflanked and now outnumbered, the only thing that the Cetlish army could do was retreat. While Garfios commanded the rearguard, entangling his foes with the maelstrom of battle, General Berry led the army west and away from Dyger. For two or three hours the Cets engaged the Eterran-Norch host in a running battle for their lives. Eventually they came to the village of Zicker, where there was a series of hills nearby to the south that they could set up a better defense. The battlefield would be a one and a half mile corridor between Zicker to the north and a large forest to. The Cetlish host had chosen a perfect defensive position, able to channel their enemy into their battle line, without much fear of being outflanked. But in doing so, they lost their only avenue of retreat to home; their only hope now lay in fighting through the enemy. But the enemy was not about to let the Cets do that. Onward they pressed their assault against the Cetlish lines. If they could only break through the remnants of the invaders, then the scattered surviving units would be easily caught and destroyed. But Cetlish discipline was far superior to their adversaries’, and they beat back every assault with only minor losses on either side. No stratagem could trick them, and no spell could confuse them. By the time the day turned to dusk, the Cetlish host was savaged but intact. The combined Eterran-Norch army was forced to break off fighting for the night. But for the trapped Cetlish there was no break. All during the night, Berry sent many Loscorredores squads on night sorties. Their dark raids not only kept much of the enemy awake and on edge, but provided a great deal of information about the enemy’s camp and possible dispositions the next morning. And using that intelligence, Berry came up with a clever plan of attack. A heavy force of pikemen squares, in a narrow, column-like formation, with crossbowmen support would hit the weak point of the enemy lines. All the while other units, including dismounted comparm soldiers, attacked other points to tie up the enemy. Come the dawn, Garfios himself led the primary assault. Garfios fought with terrifying ferocity. Up and down his blood covered placsepara went, splitting through armor and flesh with contemptuous ease. His black armor was stained with the blood of his foes, and his golden cloak was torn and bloody. Those men that fought beside their rexia, commoners who would otherwise never see him, fought with just as much tenacity. Left and right Eterran and Norch soldiers fell to Cetlish pikes and swords and bolts. But the enemy was quite numerous, and timely reinforcements managed to beat back the Cetlish assault, though with heavy casualties.Undaunted, Garfios rallied his men for yet another assault against the traitors. Three more times did the Cetlish assault the enemy lines. And in all three times they almost broke through. And in those times, always was Rexia Garfios at the forefront with his Tactuaje bodyguards, slaying men and giving truth to his name. Never once did he tire, and yet again led the fourth assault. The Cetlish soldiers were tired from the almost never-ending fight and frustrated at not being able to get anywhere. But when the Rexia called on them to fight some more, they picked up their weapons without hesitation. Once again the Cets charged the Eterran-Norch lines, but when the Rexia’s force charged within a hundred yards of the enemy lines, they stopped right in their tracks not moving, their weapons hung limp at their side. The enemy wasted no time and attacked the immobile and defenseless Cets. The enemy mercilessly cut throats and stabbed at their hearts. Never once did the Cets react or try to deflect the blows. They simply stood there and died in droves.General Duan Berry saw what was happening and reacted quickly. He ordered the remaining battle wizards, many of whom died of exhaustion and deadly counterspells, to end whatever magic afflicted the Rexia and his attack force. However, their magic was of no avail. Whatever was causing the horrible malaise was strong indeed. Even so, Berry had assembled a force for a counterattack. General Berry himself led the relief force, and they caught the enemy unawares, for they had believed that the Cets were worn out and unable to assemble such a counterattack with any speed. As the enemy was pushed back, the afflicted Cets came too, and fell back to their defensive lines, including the Rexia who was, miraculously, untouched. It was the middle of the afternoon by then. Garfios’s survival of the massacre was quite telling. It was now obvious that the traitors wished to capture him alive. For his own safety, and those of his retinue, he was forced to sit and watch the battle from the rear, to his immense dissatisfaction. But his soldiers were also disappointed, for they had lost nearly half of their numbers. And though the enemy was savaged as well, Garfios’s personal leadership would be sorely missed.So, for the fifth time the Cetlish army attempted to break through the enemy’s line. This time it was General Berry that led the assault in lieu of the Rexia. Both sides were by now exhausted from nonstop fighting for almost the entire morning. But the Cetlish soldiers were better trained with greater endurance and morale, whilst the enemy was nearing the limit of their capabilities. General Berry believed that this time the breakthrough would succeed. But then General Duan Berry, Archhidalgo Kentle, was struck down by neither missile nor blade. He simply grabbed his chest and died, struggling to breathe. With him gone, the assault force he was leading ran without any order. Now the allied Eterran-Norch host possessed the momentum. As quickly as possible they attacked the Cetlish army on all points. The Cets fought back with desperate tenacity. They had little choice, their rexia refused to treat with his enemies, preferring death to humiliating terms.Sensing the end was near, Garfios leapt into the chaos. He organized a vicious counter-attack that began to drive the enemy’s center away. But once again Garfios, and this time only Garfios, stopped fighting, and stood there staring blankly into space. The remainder of his Reygio Tactuaje quickly tried to remove the Rexia from the field. But they were soon cut down as their strokes and parries became unnaturally slower. But where the Tactuaje failed, the pikemen and Loscorredores of Cetland succeed, and spirited their paralyzed rexia away. Garfios recovered quickly, but to those furthest from him it seemed that he was dead. The effect on the Cetlish soldiers was predictable, and many righteous men fell before Garfios could restore some semblance of discipline. Down to a fifth of his force, surrounded on all sides by his enemies, his surviving soldiers tired, exhausted and dispirited, Garfios did the only thing that made sense to him; he committed an attack. This was the final assault, as everyone was well aware. After a long, grueling combat, Garfios was captured at last. The Cetish soldiers were unable to retrieve their rexia, so the roughly five hundred survivors retreated up the tallest hill of their defensive camp. The more numerous enemy offered them quarter, but in true Cetlish fashion, they picked up their weapons and what colors remained and charged headlong into death. They cut down half-again their own number, but in the end they all fell. And the Battle of Zicker ended then and there. Garfios watched that final suicidal charge from the rear of the enemy’s line. And instead of feeling pride for leading such valiant men, he felt rage for not being able to fight with them. The thought of that still enraged him as he lay in a straw filled wagon. But by now, he knew not to waste time thinking of the evil inflicted upon him. So instead he thought of the future, and how to escape from his bonds.

II

The train carrying Rexia Garfios II traveled all through the night since the Battle of Zicker had ended. Dawn was beginning her ascent as they reached their destination. By the time the Water Sun could be seen over the horizon, they had entered the village of Ballis. The village itself had nothing special about it. It was filled with simple people, whose only desire was to get through one more day. Neither was it in a strategically important position, existing only because it was a good place to congregate after working on the farms they were bound to. Yet, upon a hill to the south of the village was the Castle of Almester.Almester was constructed by Clemit VI, the Junker of Tolmos, little more than two hundred years ago. But its foundations lie earlier to when it was a fortress of the ancient Burtelan Empire. For many centuries the fort, then called Forinae, protected the frontiers of the Empire. Then as now, it was designed to protect the peasantry of the area from raiders and brigands. But when these frontiers moved south the fort was abandoned for a while, until it was renovated and reopened as a prison. The inhuman punishments that took place there were the basis of stories, real and fake, that still haunt the denizens of the region. But when the Empire fell, the fort was left to decay. When Clemit VI inherited the lands around Ballis some seventy years ago, he used the ancient foundation to build a summertime abode and protection for his new serfs. But his family abandoned the castle some seventy years ago as its upkeep grew too expensive. So there was no one to contest it when Alchemedies took it over nearly twenty years ago. And while Alchemedies ran Almester, the reputation of the place suffered greatly. Every so often a heart wrenching scream could be heard emanating from the place, a scream that sounded like that of an animal but felt human to the listeners. Small, but mysterious convoys would climb up to the ancient castle. What they were delivering, none knew, but many believed it was fel supplies the castle’s master used to conduct his horrid magics. Each new day brought a report that someone from around the area had disappeared. Though everyone suspected the Lord of Almester was responsible for the disappearances, no one would go to confront Alchemedies on these charges out of fear of being victimized themselves. And worse, anyone with the strength to stand up to the dread master was charmed into submission by him. This was the world Garfios was entering. By the time he passed the castle’s main gate he had regained some mobility of his limbs, though it was still an effort to lift up a leg. In the bailey Garfios’s wagon came to a sudden stop. He was then handled roughly as he was moved from the wagon and dragged into the keep. He tried to walk on his own, but he was still too numb to move properly. However, as soon as they came to the Hall of Almester Garfios could walk, if slowly. His arms were still bound behind him when he came before Alchemedies and his high class lackeys. Upon a dais at the head of the hall, Alchemedies was sitting on a simple throne. He had changed into green, silken clothing, with gold lace trim. Rexia Markis and High Stathafer Villiam stood at either side of him in plainer, but rich clothes of varying styles.“Amazing,” exclaimed Alchemedies. “Not many could shake off the paralysis spell without assistance so soon. You are an extraordinary person, Garfios.”“You will refer to me as majesty,” Garfios said menacingly.“No,” responded Alchemedies. “What gives you the right to be called majesty? What have you done but kill righteous men and ended just causes. Is that majestic? Does that give you the right to be called majesty?”Never could a man be more incensed than Garfios at that moment. “What right do I have?” he bellowed. “I am a Dragonslayer! My father, and his father, and their dynasty all ruled for more than eight hundred years! I am the latest in the great Drakificios House!”Alchemedies laughed at Garfios’s claim. “That is the great problem with you dynasts. You think that your blood gives you the right to rule. Few of you have ever earned it through careful strategy and personal injury. Your many titles were bestowed upon you by your father and his sycophants, or worse, by yourself to make yourself feel important.”“What is your meaning?” demanded Garfios.“Alchemedies is a sorcerer of great strength,” replied Markis. “His wisdom and power is such that he could bring peace to Ubernorden.” Markis tried to sound resolute, but his voiced cracked with every other syllable. His eyes were filled with fear as he looked at bound and bloodied ex-ally. “But such peace can only be attained if he is sovereign,” declared Villiam. His chest was puffed out, and his head was held high. He sneered at his former sovereign, contempt in his face. “And that can only be achieved if Cetland is under his dominion.”“I surly will not surrender my reydom to you!” he said.“Be reasonable, Garfios,” said an anxious Markis, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. “You will not be left with nothing. Your most ancient holdings will be left to you, such as Nilanu and Nadrid. All you must do is declare that Alchemedies is your…”“Silence yourself!” shouted Garfios. Markis took a step back, half raising his arm in a defensive position, shielding himself from sudden outburst of rage from Garfios. Villiam, while temporarily taken aback, stepped forward in wrath at Garfios’s impudence, and made as if to strike him. Only Alchemedies remained unmoved, sitting motionless on his throne, studying the angry rexia. Garfios continued, “You and Villiam may be content to serve a peasant, but I am not. I am from an ancient line; I am descended from the Dragonslayer Marias I. I will not yield to you.“What is it you could possibly gain from this venture, Markis? Do you hope to shore up your position in Eterria. You are a weak sovereign, barely able to hold your people to your will. My foreign intelligence bureau has long told me of the conspiracies of the Hotechs. That even now they are moving against you in hopes of gaining where you are failing. You may be in civil war by the time the year ends. Your only hope is to move against your enemies first, but you have not the will to do so without help from foreign might.“As for you Villiam, it is obvious that you chafe being under me, and that you wish to become the sovereign of the Deltalands Archearldom. But it is equally obvious that you do not have enough support in the Deltalands for your rebellion. If you did you would simply have declared yourself the sovereign safe in the knowledge that my attempt to retake the Deltalands would be too long and difficult for my Cets to acquiesce to. You could not win a revolt alone, so you have allied with this witch. There is no reason for me to yield any of you.”“It may be you won’t have to,” Alchemedies responded before Villiam could advance on Garfios with his naked sword. “Already the combined army of the Eterria and Deltalands are set to march up to Boledo. It should have been done with a greater force, but for you. If you had simply gone to the Deltalands like you were advised, we could have held you in better conditions and our combined host would be able to conquer Cetland definitively. But because you had to be some glorious hero, you decided to invade Eterria. Now we have half as much force as we could have otherwise used.”“So, you are negotiating with me because you know you cannot succeed.”“Cannot succeed? Negotiate?” Alchemedies was wild with great amusement. “My dear Garfios, we can still march straight up to Boledo and take it without much effort. Then Cetland shall belong to us, and you will be disposable.”“Foolish little man,” Garfios retorted. “I am Cetland. Without me, it would dissolve into the Petty States of yore.”“You are far too full of yourself, Garfios. We shall invest Boledo and take your homeland and central holding. I think I will take your Regina as my Domicae, and have her on the corpse of Edmure.”At the mention of his seven year-old son and heir, Garfios sprang towards Alchemedies, fully intending to rip out the man’s throat with his teeth. But he was quickly restrained by the guards. “Take him to the dungeons,” said Alchemedies. And so they went.Garfios was half led, half dragged out of the Hall and down to the dungeons. Though he struggled all the way, it did no good. He was too tightly bound to break free. After descending a spiraling stair down into dirty tunnel, they came to an intersection. The hallway continued on from the staircase, but there was a door to the right. Garfios was taken into that door, and into the dungeons proper. The dungeons were as to be expected, filthy, dim, and thoroughly uncomfortable. It was hardly the confinement that one of Garfios’s high standing should expect. However, the rexia was too furious at his captors to register complaint. In this underground prison, his captors found the appropriate cell, located to their right as they walked the hallway, and took him in. They beat Garfios into long chains attached to a ring placed firmly within the wall, and left the pathetic sovereign, who they now laughed at, to the ‘humble abode.’Alone now, Garfios’s rage became utterly uncontrollable. He screamed and pulled at his chains trying to break them with his bare hands. He would shout challenges to Markis, Villiam, and especially Alchemedies.After flailing about for a while, Garfios settled down. He sat in a corner of the dungeon contemplating how unfair the whole situation was. He was a Dragonslayer after all, the latest in a line descending form Marias Drakificios, the one who slew the great Black Dragon Thron'gor and won the Reydom of Grendelu almost eight hundred years ago. Garfios’s own branch came from Nathal Drakificios Reyson, and held on to the Thanedom of Nadrid for over six hundred years before Garfios’s own father united Cetland. Nearly eight hundred years of continuous sovereign dynastic history was represented in Garfios Shrike. Garfios II of Cetland. The thought that he would be the one to fail it, fail the Dragonslayers, was too much for him to bear. Garfios began to weep.

III

Sometime later, Garfios woke up lying about in the far right corner of his cell. He had settled down by then, realizing how impotent it was. He was only now beginning to realize that Alchemedies possessed a real chance at succeeding in his ambitions. With the conquest of Cetland, there would be few left who could stand against him. Marsoul, the only other power in Eastern Geiospotamia that would end Alchemedies insanity, was currently embroiled in civil war, a fight over who would ascend the Marsoulite throne, the House of Bugenaut or the House of Chemein. Puerentia, the large sovereignty existing between the two major sovereignties, hadn’t been strong enough to fight such a foe alone in over three hundred years. No other sovereignty, neither Xona nor Cahluda, was strong enough to fight alone. But without Cetlish leadership, would their coalition last long enough to be victorious? Only the Ahktulian Empire, though far across the sea, could crush Alchemedies before he could become too powerful. However, they had concerns elsewhere within and without their vast empire, and were thus unreliable saviors.Instead, Garfios began to contemplate his recent conversation with Alchemedies so as to plan his comeback. No matter how strong in magic Alchemedies might be, he would never be able to effectively control Cetland. There were far too many powerful personalities with differing goals both ancient and recent for a xeno to rule over. In addition, there was a history of Cets resisting foreign incursions with aplomb. So the only solution for Alchemedies to rule Cetland would be to place him, Rexia Garfios, on the throne as a subservient client. The thought of becoming a vassal to that witch chafed at Garfios. But he knew that it was the best way to regain power. His mind was a constant stream of schemes and stratagems, running through each scenario to find the correct solution to regaining sovereignty. One way or another, however, Alchemedies had to be assassinated, that much Garfios knew. Perhaps the traitor Villiam could be used as a patsy? As he was busy scheming in his head, a sound of keys being placed into the cell door was heard. A guard then came into the cell holding a bowl full of something in one of his hands. The guard set it down just inside the cell and turned to leave. All the while, Garfios remained where he was in his corner. He was in fact, starved, but he would hardly debase himself as a rexia by rushing headlong to have a meek meal.The guard took a single step out of the cell when he suddenly stopped and looked around at Garfios. “Aw, does the great rexia not want his food?” he said, condescendingly. He then stepped back into the cell and stood over the bowl of food. “Or maybe,” he continued picking up the bowl, “he doesn’t know how to feed himself?”With a visible jolt that the guard misinterpreted as sudden fright, Garfios realized that the guard didn’t understand the nature of his stoicism. “Perhaps you need to be fed like an infant?” he sneered. As the guard walked toward Garfios, the rexia saw his chance. He gripped his chains tight and awaited the guard to get closer. “Does the little sovereign need his nurse’s milk?” the guard asked in atrocious condescension. “Shall I go fetch…”Once the guard was close enough, Garfios wrapped his chains around the guard’s neck. He then pulled the guard to the ground and placed him on his face in order to get better leverage. He stood up just a little and fell backwards, his chain still wrapped around the guard’s neck. With merciless rage, Garfios choked the very life out of the helpless guard. He struggled against the assault, trying to rip the chain from his throat as best as he could, but Garfios kept a firm grip. He pulled so hard that the chain began to break the skin of the poor guard’s neck, dampening the chain in crimson blood. It took only a few horrific minutes, but soon the guard stopped trying to breathe and lay very still.Immediately Garfios searched the body for the key. Garfios merely assumed that since the guard had to unlock the cell door, the key to his chains was there as well. And sure enough it was. Free now, Garfios left the cell, unconcerned that there might be additional jailers just outside responding slowly to Garfios’s attack. At first he went back towards the keep. But once at the intersection that lead to either the Keep or some mysterious hallway, Garfios grew worried. He could hear rapid, determined steps upstairs, and indecipherable shouting. The servants of Almester were performing some hurried task for their master. Unarmed and alone, he didn’t know how many more guards remained for him to fight up the stairs. So he went into the hallway.Grabbing a torch that hung on the wall, Garfios started to trek the mysterious hallway. He tried to think where in the castle he might be in, but castles, and this design in particular, were obsolete these days. After a few minutes of wandering this hallway, the walls turned from brick and mortar to grey bedrock. The switch in architecture confused Garfios, but he paid it no mind. He took it as a sign that he was almost out of the castle and away from his enemies, believing it was an escape tunnel. If he had known about the legends and recent history associated with Almester, he might have turned back now. But without such knowledge, he plunged headlong into the darkness ahead.It wasn’t long until the cave forked. A superstitious person like anyone else, Garfios chose to go to the right. Nothing changed as he traveled down the tunnel, but it did fork again, and again. Garfios continued to go way he felt was appropriate, plunging deeper into a place he knew little about, becoming ever more panicky as he did so. But after what seemed like hours, Garfios came to a series of doors.Garfios chose a door to investigate, and to his astonishment it was unlatched. He then opened it and peered inside. It was a bare earthen room a step lower than the tunnel with no light source carved into the earth like the tunnel after him. A flicker of movement caught his eye, and he brought forth the torch to give the room more light. On the floor, almost in the center of the room was a strange, almost translucent substance. It was bulbous and twice the size of a man’s head but quivered like gelatin. “Hello,” said a lyrical voice seemingly coming from the substance.Garfios panicked and as he tried to leave the room in haste, he stumbled at step of the door. He dropped his torch in the hallway and hurriedly barred the door. He started to breathe very heavily, and for a little while was too shocked to do anything. But soon enough he picked up his torch and moved along. The torch was dimmer now that some of it was put out. He was afraid now to open anymore doors, but he had to if he wanted to find a way out.A good ways from the ‘gelatin’ door, Garfios opened another one. But this one was further barred by bars for a second door. He touched the bars and found them to be rather cold. It didn’t feel like steel, but in the dim light, he couldn’t tell what it was. Then suddenly, something struck the bars, missing Garfios’s fingers by the barest fraction on an inch. The creature then pressed his face against the bars chewing at the air in an attempt to chew Garfios, allowing him a good look at it. It was white, bloodless of face, with large bulging eyes. Its ears were also larger than normal and frilled, and it possessed long canine teeth.“Vampyre,” Garfios sneered out loud. He knew now that bars were made of silver, so he was in no danger from the creature. He continued on a little braver now. Eventually he came to another door that he had an inexplicable desired to try. This one came to a small room similar to the others. In the gloom of his struggling torch he could just make out a hole in the floor. Despite great apprehension, he moved closer to the hole. And he saw that it simply wasn’t an indentation in the floor, but a dark and imperceptible well. Garfios had an understandable desire to find out how deep the well was, but as he didn’t have anything to throw into it, there was nothing he could do about it. He turned to leave, but a movement caught his eye.Something black and inky was coming out of the well. Involuntarily, Garfios stepped back. The thing from the well came up, but never spread across the floor. Instead it shot up into the air, and hung there. The substance formed itself into ball with a hundred tentacles all around it. Then it opened its mouth, which was almost its entire circumference, and gave out a foul smelling sigh. Garfios ran from the room. He recognized the creature as a demon, for which he was ill-prepared to face. He was so terrified that he tried to run back the way he came, back to the castle. But with all the turns he had took when he got in the tunnels he became even more lost trying to get out. Eventually, he stopped running and faced a new problem; his torch was almost completely put out. With no other options available to him, Garfios chose another door to open. Inside was the last thing Garfios would have expected. The room was again similar to the others, but towards the back of it was a peculiar tree. This tree had bright, crimson leaves and black, oily bark. Its canopy was bushy, wide, and arc shaped. Strangest of all, among its branches was a man. This man looked tall with ebony skin. He was thin of frame, but well-muscled. He didn’t appear to be tied to the tree, just upon it and suspended somehow. Garfios couldn’t foresee any reason to not pull the man down, so he did so. In doing so the tree began to quake. Garfios dragged the man away from the shaking tree. And as he did so, it reached down its limbs in an attempt to take back its victim. If the tree uprooted itself, Garfios was prepared to run and leave the man he just rescued. But tree did not. It simply probed for the man in its immediate vicinity, and then simply returned to its former tree-like state.The mysterious man sat up and stared at Garfios with glazed eyes. “Where am I?” he asked in Eteri. Garfios could not speak Eteri, so he answered in Linguaca hoping the man would understand. “We are in the bowls of Castle Almester in the village of Ballis in Eterria. And who might you be?”The man stared blankly at Garfios. “I…do not…know,” he answered at last, again in Eteri. The man looked around the bare room, obviously trying to think. “Almester…sounds familiar,” he said. He stared at the ground, then looked right in Garfios’s eyes. “Who owns Almester?”Garfios sneered out his response. “A sorcerer calling himself, Alchemedies.”“Alchemedies!” the man cried. The man immediately attempted to stand but stumbled and fell. “I know who Alchemedies is!” he said still attempting to stand. Garfios made the unusual decision to help the man stand up by propping him on his shoulder. Leaning upon the Rexia of Cetland, the man continued, “Alchemedies is my enemy! And I am Valinos of Sudenvor!”Garfios was not very amazed that the mention of Alchemedies gave Valinos his memory back. If they were as grim of enemies as it appeared then it was only natural his name brought back all of those memories. “Yes…yes,” he said. “I remember everything once more. I was resting at my mansion in Etros. There I foolishly relaxed by guard, for I did not believe anyone would attack me there. But obviously I was mistaken. Oh…the wine. I admit that I have a weakness for fine dining. He must have poisoned the wine, and rendered me unconscious. He was then able to overtake me easily as a coward. Though he is naturally gifted at the use of magic, he knows that I have greater knowledge of the supernatural and could easily match him.”“You are a magician, then?” asked Garfios.“Yes,” Valinos replied indignantly. “How long have I been enraptured by the branches of Hadyssil that a man of Eterria does not know me!”“I do not know how long it has been for you, Mayot. It is the fourteenth day of Bellech of the year Two thousand Two hundred Eighty-Six, if that helps you.” “Twenty-Two Eight-Six? I’ve been imprisoned for over Twenty years.”“Also,” said Garfios, still in Linguaca and unconcerned with Valinos’s lost time, “I am of Cetland, not Eterria.” “Oh, then I apologizes for my outburst just now,” Valinos replied in Linguaca. “Indeed, my ears are even now unplugging, and I can hear that you indeed are speaking Linguaca with a Cetlish accent. Who are you, good man? You are a brave one to come so near Hadyssil, the tree that is rooted not in the earth, but in Hell.”“I am Garfios Drakificios Shrike, Rexia of Cetland,” he said, proudly.“Rexia?” exclaimed Valinos. “Then why are you down here in Mortiel’s Tunnel?” “Mortiel’s Tunnel? I thought we were in Almester?”“We are. Allow me to explain while we leave this unholy place.” Valinos turned to leave his cell and Garfios followed. They then walked the dim hallway, lightless save for Garfios’s struggling torch. “The place that would become Almester did start off as a Burtelan fort, and after the Empire fell, the fort did fall into decay. But it was after that, that Alfors the Mad came to the ruins.”“Alfors the Mad?” repeated Garfios. “I do not know of him.”“I am not surprised by that. He is more of a local legend for those who live south of the Scissionisté. He was a brilliant wizard in the fifteenth century, doing many great deeds. His greatest was the ending of the Doribun Blight of Fourteen Thirty-Seven. But sadly, he descended into madness later in his life. In his Thirty-Eighth year, it was thought that he had disappeared from the face of Aerith. There are quite a few stories about his adventures in other worlds, fighting demons and loving alien women. But a few know the truth. That he came here to the decrepit fort of Burtel.“It was he who dug out all of these tunnels from under the ruins and under the nearby village. While he was doing that, he studied the blackest of magic. He would summon demons to be his slave, imprisoned monsters in order to dissect them and transplant their limbs, and even brought many innocent victims to sacrifice for his twisted ambitions.”“What was his ambition?” Garfios asked, though he did not care. Most of his attention was on the tunnels that could hold any kind of horror to enrapture them for a great hell. He was also studying Valinos very thoroughly. Though the tunnels were dark as pitch, and the torch was behind him, the magician seemed to know his way around quite easily. “No one is certain,” replied Valinos. “Some say it was to summon an army for conquest. Others believe he simply wanted to see how far a mortal’s magic could be taken. I believe it was both at once and that once he reached the limit of magic…”Valinos halted just then. Garfios tried to place the torch in front of his guide, but it did no good. The tunnel before them was still too dark. As Valinos continued to stare into the darkness, immobile, Garfios did so as well, just to see if there was anything he could do to help, if there was anything there. After a few moments, however, he saw some movement in the darkness. The movement was strange, almost like it was a banner whipping in the wind. With a start, Garfios recognized what was before them, it the demon that Garfios saw come out of the well. The demon had its mouth open rather wide, and its tentacles quivered like an excited dog’s tail. Garfios was suddenly afraid that the demon would bite half of their bodies clean off. But while Garfios wanted to run, Valinos remained motionless, mumbling something Garfios couldn’t hear. Still the demon continued to smile at the two of them, and Valinos continued to stare at it. Garfios had a terrifying thought that Valinos was mesmerized by the demon. But after several tense moments, without warning, the demon fled, turning a corner as it did so.“We should be alright,” Valinos said then. “It will bother us no more, and the tunnels are lined with runes to keep such creatures in, lest a Blight result.” He then turned to Garfios with an accusatory stare. “I realized that you never did answer my question before. Why are you down here?”“Alchemedies has turned my servant Villiam of Bois, the High Stathafer of the Deltalands, as well as my close ally Markis II, the Rexia of Eterria, against me. They then, by ill-fortune, captured me in battle and brought me to Almester in order to grovel at Alchemedies’s feet for mercy. When I did not, they placed me in Almester’s dungeon where I managed to escape. But in trying to flee the castle, I entered these accursed tunnels instead.”“You went where you knew nothing of, and did not leave when it was obvious it would not take you where you desired?”“Yes,” answered Garfios, matter-of-factly.Valinos studied the rexia for some time with great confusion. But he soon turned and continued to leave the tunnel. He brought his right hand to his forehead in a thinking posture then said, “Where was I? Ah, yes…after a few months, when the locals could no longer report on an appearance by Alfors, they came to the ruined fort. They braved the mouth of the tunnel and sealed it up, lest the evil within discover a way to escape. Later, Almester was built on this site, but was sold and abandoned after several years.“Alchemedies took up residence here almost thirty years ago. Along with the unnaturalness already here, Alchemedies added his own evil. It was he who planted the seed of Hadyssil, which he then used to place me in eternal torment,” he said with great bitterness.“He seems more interested in power than magic,” said Garfios. “So why does he rule these tunnels?”“Recall that he is a sorcerer,” replied Valinos. “To such people, magic is but a pathway to power.”It was at this time that they left the tunnels and entered the castle proper. Valinos motioned Garfios to halt as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. After several seconds he said, “I cannot feel anyone in this castle besides you, your majesty. It appears that Alchemedies has left.”“And took all of his servants with him?” exclaimed Garfios. “There were too many servants to take on campaign, unless he expects them to fight.”“No,” said Valinos, as he walked up to the keep. “Most likely they leave the castle whenever he is gone. With everything that he does, those of simple minds must fear the place as cursed.”Up a flight of stairs they went, into a spacious hallway. After hours of walking the lightless tunnels beneath them, the light pouring into the hallway was blinding. Once their eyes adjusted, however, the two were able to tell that the day was entering the evening time. With nowhere else to go, they made their way to the hall of Almester. Indeed, it was the proper choice as they found it empty, but not bare. There was much food and wine laid out as for good supper.“Alchemedies must not have told his servants that he was leaving. But why would they leave all of these victuals out like this? Are they really so afraid of this place?”“Verily,” said Valinos, slumping into a cushioned chair and reclined. “But it is our fortune, none-the-less. Be a good man and pour me a drought of wine.”Garfios was about to deny his request by stating his position. But instead, he decided to be charitable and poured out the wine. Valinos took it without a thank you and drank deeply. Then he picked some bread from a tray. Garfios neither ate nor drank. He was now fueled by rage, and he began to pace. Valinos noticed this, but said nothing for some time.But then curiosity came to him, “What is on his majesty’s mind?” he asked.“Alchemedies is abroad and picking my empire apart. I know he is invading Cetland, but I do not know where or how far he has gotten. I do not know where to go to counter-attack.”“I can help with that,” said Valinos. He stood and motioned for Garfios to follow again. They went to a basin of water used for washing before supper. Valinos cupped his hand and brought some water to his face. He then drank it and swirled the water in his mouth. After a moment of this, Valinos spit it back into the basin. “There. Now all you need to do is look into the basin, concentrate on whomever or wherever you wish to see, and you will see it.”Garfios looked into the water of the basin as Valinos went back to the food. Garfios’s one thought was ‘where was Alchemedies’ and focused on that thought. It took only a few seconds before an image appeared in the water. It was transparent at first, but it was becoming brighter and more detailed by the second. After a while, the image was clearly a city as seen from a large hill, and there was something familiar about it. As the picture became brighter, Garfios could see long streams of smoke rising from within the city. The smoke was not from any kind of destructive fire, but from hearth fires intended to warm a household and furnaces for manufacturing goods in workshops. The smoke was heavy, but from the hearths and not the furnaces, meaning the city was in evening time. On either side of the city gate he could see a banner hanging from the gate tower. They had upon a field of azure a black bear on its hind legs with a silver crown over it. Then Garfios saw movement just outside of the city moving towards it walls. Large bodies of men were marching in perfect formation, massing before the city as best they could, though it was tough to see if the numbers were large enough to invest the city totally. Some were moving siege equipment into positions that would cause better havoc to the beleaguered citizenry. Others appeared to break apart their formation, and Garfios suspected that they were digging trenches. No sortie appeared from the city, and none could be seen being prepared; the city was taken by surprise, and a horrifying siege would be the result. Garfios tore himself away from the basin. “Bagista! Alchemedies is besieging Bagista! That cad! Oh, if he takes Bagista then he can march right up to Boledo. My War Minister Charlos will definitely move against the invasion, but will he be able to defeat Alchemedies’s magic?”“Probably no,” answered Valinos.“No? I have many strong and knowledgeable wizards in my employ whose sole responsibility is to protect Cetland from magical attacks and enemy magicians.” “No doubt, but Alchemedies is quite strong. Indeed, I think it most likely that he is hiding the army from your people. His army can still be seen and fought against, but scouts will not be able to report about it to your generals. However, your ancestors were wise in military affairs, and have built many fortresses that delay and exhaust you enemies marching into Cetland. It is said that the Cetlish grow forts more than wheat.”“But only the border forts are manned,” Garfios whined. “The interior forts remain empty unless the realm is invaded.” Valinos sighed. “Bagista is the cornerstone of Cetland’s southern border defense. There will be nothing left to stand in Alchemedies’s way once it falls. I must get to Boledo. I can set an army to counter his invasion.”“You will never make it to Boledo in time,” said Valinos. “And even if you do, it will only be to organize its defense, and then perish.”Garfios stomped right to where Valinos was sitting. And despite himself, Valinos shrunk before the other man’s wrath.“What would you have me do?” Garfios demanded. “The empire my ancestors built is crumbling before a usurper! I must defend it! If I am to be the last Dragonslayer, then I shall go impaling as many of my enemies as I am able before the end!” At that he turned to storm out of the keep. But before he could exit, Valinos called to him.“Wait, your majesty. I might have a solution for you.” He motioned Garfios to follow once more. This time they only went far enough to meet at a large carpet on the floor of the dining room. “It is better to do this with a potion, but I believe I can do this with my strength alone. Please, your majesty, sit upon the carpet.”Garfios did as he was asked as Valinos moved to the front. He too sat on the carpet, cross-legged and mumbling to himself. Garfios had no idea what Valinos was trying to do, but he decided to wait it out.Then suddenly the carpet moved involuntarily. Only one of the corners moved, curling as if a strong just of wind was blowing on it intermittently. Then another corner began to curl up. Soon all the corners curled and carpet began to ripple upon the floor. Before Garfios could ask what was happening, the carpet rose from the floor. Garfios was scared immediately, but did not panic. Once it was two feet off of the floor, the carpet moved forward and out of the keep. In the bailey, the carpet continued to fly, all the way up to the clouds.

IV

The Water Sun had settled below the horizon. The sky was dark blue and clear. Hundreds of stars filled the sky along with the waning Big Brother. The wind blowing on Garfios chilled him and forced his teeth to chatter. But to his credit, he never complained. His entire mind was devoted to crushing Alchemedies and his traitorous lieutenants. But even he was tired and anxious. “How much further to Boledo?” he asked.“A few hours more,” replied Valinos. Although the carpet only flew because of his will, Valinos was able to both talk and fly. “I am not taking us to Boledo directly as a bird would. To do so would bring us close to Alchemedies’s position. It is possible that he would feel our presence as we go by him. We are not prepared to face him in our current state.”“Where are we going now?”“I am taking us deep into Cetland, far to the east of Alchemedies. Indeed, almost directly to our front, a little to the right, is the city of Nadrid. Ah, to visit there once again, with its wonderful food, and beautiful music. It is truly a wond…”“Take me to Nadrid now!” Garfios demanded, suddenly.“What?” exclaimed Valinos. The demand was so sudden and unexpected that he nearly lost control of the carpet. But while there was a small but perceptible drop, Valinos managed to keep them aloft. “What reason would you have to go there?”“Do not argue with me,” he said forcefully. “Just take me there, now!”Valinos was irritated at being treated so poorly. But he did as his royal passenger told him to do. It took almost another hour before they reached Nadrid. And even at night, it was a sight to behold. Nicknamed “the Five Wall City” because of its constant outward sprawl, it was the at one time the very center of the Dragonslayer’s power. Located on the west bank of the River Sul, the city was one of the greatest concentrations of wealth in Ubernorden. All across eastern and southern Medimara and all across the Adune Sea, the merchant families who called that city home had a hand in all manners of commerce. And for quite a while, as many of the fortunes were of ancient origin though the names associated with them were different. At night, much of the affluent districts of the city were still lit up, a declaration of their wealth where business and pleasure was expertly combined. Nothing of the true beauty of Nadrid could be seen this late, but the tightly controlled layout of the city still impressed Valinos.But Valinos was still confused at Garfios’s intent. The city was closer to Bagista than Boledo, but what would that do? Though rich, the city had long since given up military force as an expression of power. Garfios would find few soldiers here. But Valinos did not voice these worries. And slowly and most carefully he willed the carpet to descend into the city. “There,” said Garfios pointing over Valinos’s left shoulder. “Take me there.” He was pointing to a field southwest of the city that was mysteriously ringed by lights. So Valinos descended right into the middle of that marked area.

V

For more than an entire day Bagista had been under intense siege. The denizens knew not why they were suddenly at war, but they knew that they were fighting for their lives. Since the siege began the wall and the outer town had been bombarded incessantly. Many mangonels, onagers, and trebuchets were in their siege train throwing a myriad of dangerous and deadly materials into the city. Fires even now raged across the city thanks to the Wet Fire the enemy flung. The enemy assaulted the walls of the city nine times with ladders and siege towers, and each time they almost took the wall from the defenders. But an opening in the wall had just now been fully formed thanks in main part due to strange, fearsome new weapons. There were eleven of them, tubular in shape, made of long strips of iron bound together by iron claps. During the siege they would spit out three pound stone balls with fire and a clap of thunder. Though eight of them had destroyed themselves during the siege, the remaining four were already prepared to continue the devastation.But for Ferinos Manslayer, the master of the guard, the city would have already been taken. To deal with the raging fires, he organized teams of impressed citizens into fire brigades. Though they had not put out the fires, they had at least stopped their spread. Under his crucial leadership, honed from his experiences in the Fifteenth Nilanu War as a Senior Sergeant, the poorly equipped Guards of Bagista beat back all of the assaults the enemy made on the walls. And all throughout this terror, Ferinos had sent runners sent to Qualidos, where the Petty Senate of Jalinau held session, so that the authorities of Cetland might know of Bagista’s plight. Yet no relief force was in sight, and no messenger had come back. Ferinos had no idea why the Petty Senate hadn’t made a move yet. The Militia, weaker than the besiegers by thousands, would still have provided enormous aid to the ailing municipality. Still, he felt confident that the runners made it, and even now an army of relief was being mobilized. Sadly, Ferinos had no clue that his enemy was a sorcerer of great strength. So even though Bagista was not fully surrounded, no runners ever made it past the farmlands, cut down quickly by the Ghurkins, a horse-nomad levy raised by Villiam’s own fortune.But now the siege was nearing its conclusion, as both sides were well aware. Thanks to the expert magic of Alchemedies, the walls of Bagista were easily torn down. A gap in the wall had formed on the east side of the city, where much of the warmachines were concentrated. Now the besiegers were preparing for the final assault would take this hated city. For their part, the defenders commended their souls to Xalthos’s mercy and prepared to join the Celestial Battlelines.In the command tent Markis, Villiam, and Steffan were busy issuing orders for the assault. Even though Bagista was at its limit, the last of the fighting would be brutal indeed. Alchemedies was sitting on an oaken chair just outside the tent. He was quite exhausted from the siege and was almost physically unable to cast any more spells. Not that they would be needed at this stage in the siege. But a half hour before the assault was scheduled to begin, at late morning, a Norch colonel arrived. His name was Hancis, Stathafer of Stüd, and he looked quite worried. “Your Highness, Your Excellency. Our scouts report that a sizeable Cetlish army is approaching from the North. It is estimated to number up to ten thousand.”“What?” exclaimed Villiam. He looked right at Markis, who was as surprised and horrified by the news as Villiam. “How did Charlos assemble a force so quickly?” he asked aloud but aimed it at Alchemedies. Alchemedies did not stir, assuming he heard at all. What no one in that tent knew was that a couple of days before Garfios was to take direct command of the Cetlish invasion force, he was met by Andrum and Charlos in his meeting room. They convinced him of the benefits of raising a secondary army that could either be used to reinforce either the invasion or the defense of the Deltalands, or to act as a secondary attack force in and of itself. Led by the fantastic general, Lord Morven Negcasa, Earl of Navocae, this host would base itself in Nadrid where it could easily march to either Eterria or the Deltalands. Now Garfios was using this army to defend Cetland instead.“That does not matter,” answered Markis. “We must now meet this host in the field before they reach our siege lines and attack. How far are they?”“Nine miles as the crow flies,” answered Colonel Hancis. “However, they are taking the road, which makes their real distance approximately fifteen miles.”“Then we have not a moment to lose!” exclaimed Villiam. And so the allied army moved to meet the approaching relief force. The new army numbered approximately ten thousand armed men organized as three battalions of infantry and one troop of genequari. The allied Eterran/Norch army would number more than nine thousand infantry and cavalry. Due to the need to keep the city bottled up to their rear, lest a sally forth break upend all their work, one thousand men would stay behind. Indeed, with all of the defensive works constructed to beat back sorties, and with the city on its last throes, the army’s rear would be well secured.The army was marched north to the field of Celbarai, a hilly plain four miles from Bagista full of farmsteads raising sheep. The army began to form up a few hundred yards west of the road upon a short ridge facing a taller ridge. With the hosts close to even in numbers, the winner of the coming contest would be the one who outmaneuvered the other. To that end, Steffan spread out the companies of pike and archers to go where the commanders felt necessary. Dispositions were sent and then they waited until the Cetlish army came to them. Hours later they appeared. The Ghurkin scouts reported that the army was a mile away, all that was needed for them was to go from column to battle formation. It was a straight march from where the two armies currently were positioned. All that obscured their sight of one another was a ridge on the horizon where the Cets would march. Because the goal was to relieve Bagista, the army would have to attack immediately rather than take a defensive position at the ridge. An attack, however, would go through the valley the two ridges made, providing an excellent killing field for the Eterran-Norch alliance. At an hour and a half past noon, they were spotted. Thousands of gold covered men flooded over the ridge, the Cetlish Cross flying magnificently over their heads. The host was marching in a very clever formation. Up front there appeared to be two solid lines of the many crossbowmen that any decent Cetlish army utilized. Their job was, as usual, to launch many bolts at the enemy formations in order to disrupt them. The pikemen marching behind them, however, arrived in a number of standard square formations. But they were not advancing in a line. Each square was positioned behind and to the side of each other in order to make a double echelon formation. Strangest of all, many genequari squadrons were behind them, with only a handful of squads protecting their flanks.“Clever,” stated Markis. The Rexia of Eterria was standing in the command post far from the front where Villiam and Alchemedies were. He was looking at the approaching enemy with his hands above his eyes. “That lance formation can easily intercept any flanking maneuvers by our cavalry. Additionally, it would punch through our lines, if we do not tighten it up that is.”Already Steffen was doing just that. Though he didn’t see fit to alert his superiors of his plan, he was in command of the allied army so his word was final. Archers were placed out in front for their standard role, disrupting enemy formations. Then many pikemen, formed into squares in a long and three deep checkered pattern. The Ghurkin and genequari were placed on the flanks as per usual tactics. His plan was obvious for all to see. Steffen was to take advantage of the Cets weak flanks. While his infantry bunched up to take the Cetlish hammer blow, the stronger cavalry forces would tear through the weakly defended flanks and attack from behind. With the Cetlish army weak from marching without rest or breaking for lunch, victory seemed certain. “Aie!” screamed Markis, jumping back, and waving off an unseen attack. “What is wrong with you!” screeched Villiam. “The soldiers need you calm, or else they will be useless!”“It is Garfios!” Markis screamed. He pointed at the approaching army with a quaking hand, and continued to scream. “Garfios is leading the genequari division.”“What!” exclaimed Alchemedies. “That’s impossible!” He pushed Markis aside and stared at the Cetlish lines. Sure enough, in polished, gleaming steel armor and a golden cloak rode Garfios II, Rexia of Cetland. He was riding a black mare, and had a murderous look in his eye as he stared at his foes. He looked every bit the Head of the Drakificios House he was.“That’s impossible!” announced Alchemedies, fear and anger rising in him. “There is no possible way he could’ve escaped Almester on his own! He must have had help. Yes, that’s it. He had help! But who could’ve done that? No! It doesn’t matter now who did it. This mystery person will suffer greatly for this insult. He will suffer worse than Valinos is now on the Hadyrssil Tree.” “I will kill him!” he announced. “I will kill him now!” And he raised his left hand toward the Cetlish host, and attempted to take the life of Garfios Shrike. For a few tense moments he stood there like a statue. But then suddenly he leapt back screaming in pain. He seethed towards the Cetlish host while cradling an arm that had gone completely numb. Exhausted and too angry to concentrate, Alchemedies could never break through the counter-spells of battle wizards in the Cetlish army. “Kill them, kill them all!” he commanded and the two sovereigns relayed his order. The allied army attacked. They advanced until the two hosts were three hundred yards apart. That was when the Eterran/Norch army halted and the archers let loose a cloud of arrows. They aimed their deadly fusillade at the incoming crossbowmen, who were well out of range for their own deadly missile launchers. In response the front line of Cetlish crossbowmen lifted up shields to defend themselves from the incoming arrows. Though not as strong as a Marsoulite longbow, the recurve, self-bows of the Adune coast were adequate to kill their opposition. Many Cets died from Eterran/Norch fire. But still the Cetlish army advanced. They advanced to two hundred seventy yards apart. Then they advanced to two hundred forty yards apart. At two hundred yards, the Cetlish crossbows would be in their most effective killing range, but the Eterran bows had a greater rate of fire. Hundreds of brave Cets fell to treacherous arrow fire. Then the army reached two hundred yards from the allied lines, and the front line of crossbows threw down their shields and unsheathed the infantspadas that were hidden behind their surcoats. The Loscorredores, the elite light infantry of Cetland, then ran straight towards the Eterran archers at nearly superhuman speed. They quickly closed the distance between themselves and the hapless enemy archers. Those archers sent out another two volleys before they quickly broke against this sudden attack. Many were caught and killed by the furious warriors. Most, however, managed to escape the fury of the Loscorredores, but their flight went through the rest of the army draining the morale of the pikemen and disrupting their formations. In frustration, Steffen ordered a general advance. While the cavalry flanks charged ahead, the infantry marched at a slower pace. The Loscorredores stayed where they were for a moment, but soon retreated before their heavier armed foes. A few moved to the flanks to aid the Cetlish cavalry stationed there, but most of them moved to the rear of the army.As the allied army advanced the second line of crossbowmen, real crossbowmen, positioned themselves for their attack. They then began their own fusillade without fear of immediate reprisal. Many Eterrans and Norch died from the volleys, disrupting their carefully maintained pike squares further. It was at this time a strange event happened, the Cetlish pike squares halted. While the Cetlish right formed up into a line of evenly spaced pike squares, the squares of the left began to pivot leftwards to form a line that was position at a forty-five degree angle. It was a testament to the skill of Cetland’s Sergeant Corps that the pike squares did not lose their cohesion. Once both flanks were ready, they advanced; the right head on and the left in at an echelon.The junior commanders of the allied host saw the unusual flanking maneuver and responded immediately. They began shifting their units to the right in order to intercept the Cets’ left. Due to the continuing attack by Cetlish bolts, however, this shift right was not disciplined, but more like a mob action. Steffen saw the danger in the shift to the right, but his shouted commands to halt and fall back did nothing to stop the movement. Communication had clearly broken down, and the gap was forming in the center of the Allied lines.It was a gap that Garfios saw. Without speaking, he spurred his horse to charge his foes, bringing with him a whole troop of genequari behind him. Headlong they charged into the weakly held center. Those that remained lowered their pikes and stood ready to receive the terrifying charge. But they were few and unsupported. Then, most unexpectedly, the tips of the lances of the genequari erupted into densely smoking flame. Though the fire tripping the lances would add nothing to the lethality of the weapons, it did succeed at making the charging heavy cavalry all the more terrifying. Many defenders threw down their weapons and ran. The genequari ran right through the center of the Allied lines. The breakthrough precipitated a total rout of the Eterran/Norch army.The Cetlish infantry, had marched steadily along all this time. But at the sight of their opponents’ flight, they charged headlong at their enemies in a blood fury. Both Eterran and Norch fell down and were either killed or captured and destined to be sold into slavery. The Cetlish genequari, meanwhile, attacked the allied camp. Eterrans and Norch servants and staff scrambled for safety, but few found any. Morven attacked and subdued Villiam of Bois, who bravely fought back before defeat. The Rexia of Eterria, Markis IV, reclaimed his honor by falling upon his sword. The entire invasion force had disintegrated before the Cets in a matter of minutes. Alchemedies fled. He took the nearest road from the camp, and set upon it with a desperation he was quite unfamiliar with. As he sped his horse down the highway without a destination, he looked behind him. What he saw sent a chill down his spine. Following close on his heels was Garfios.In the throes of fear and panic Alchemedies did not think of using magic. All he did was will his horse to move faster. But Brothnel was a horse bred for rider comfort and not for speed, while the angry warhorse Garfios was riding was. Closer he came, his masecra was held aloft. And soon Garfios came close enough to Alchemedies that he thrust his sword at Brothnel’s hind legs. The horse immediately tripped and fell forward, taking Alchemedies with her. The horse landed on top of the sorcerer, breaking his leg. Garfios sheathed his sword whiles he slowed down his horse and circled around to Alchemedies. Alchemedies was trapped. As Garfios came around to Alchemedies, the sorcerer tried to cast a spell at his enemy. But Alchemedies could feel nothing happening. He was just unable to concentrate on anything but the excruciating pain. Garfios dismounted and walked right to Alchemedies head. He withdrew a sharp slakting knife that Alchemedies could not take his eyes off. The righteously angry sovereign grabbed the injured magician by his long hair, keeping the head up. “The problem with you peasants,” said the victorious rexia, “is that you believe we rule based on blood alone.”Then Garfios took the knife to Alchemedies’s neck and began to cut it. It took several painful minutes, but the Dragonslayer soon decapitated his enemy.